The Last Boy Scout
The Last Boy Scout is a 1991 American action film directed by Tony Scott, starring Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham, Taylor Negron and Danielle Harris. The film was released in the United States on December 13, 1991. Plot During halftime of a live-televised professional football game, L.A. Stallions star running back Billy Cole receives a phone call from someone named Milo, warning him to win the game at all costs, or "he's history". Cole ingests PCP and, in a drug-induced rage, brings a gun onto the field, shooting three opposing players to make it to the end zone. Cole then shoots himself in the head. Hardboiled Private investigator Joe Hallenbeck, a disgraced former United States Secret Service agent who at one time was a national hero for saving the President from an assassination attempt, discovers that his wife Sarah is having an affair with his best friend and sometime business partner, Mike Matthews. Hallenbeck's indifference frustrates his wife, who only did it to get his attention. Outside Joe's house, Mike is killed by a car bomb, after giving Joe an assignment to act as bodyguard for a stripper named Cory. At the bar where Cory works, Joe is approached by her boyfriend, former L.A. Stallions star quarterback James "Jimmy" Alexander Dix, who was banned from the league on gambling charges and allegations of drug abuse. After an argument where Joe and Jimmy scuffle, an annoyed Jimmy takes Cory from the stage while performing. Joe decides to wait outside, where he is knocked out by hitmen. Jimmy and Cory leave the bar in separate cars while Joe is escorted into an alley by one of the hitmen, who laughs at his jokes which enables Joe to kill him and escape. When Cory is hit from behind and stops to confront the other driver, she is shot dead by hitmen in the car. Jimmy is fired upon and pinned down, but is saved by Joe. The next day at Cory's house, Jimmy and Joe find evidence of a phone conversation between the chairman of the Senate committee to investigate gambling in sports, Sen. Calvin Baynard, and L.A. Stallions team owner Sheldon "Shelly" Marcone. When the recorded evidence is ruined in Joe's faulty car stereo, Jimmy realizes that Cory tried using the evidence as leverage against Marcone to get his job back on the team, prompting Marcone to send the hitmen. Jimmy leaves to drive home in Cory's other car, but Joe correctly assumes Marcone had her other car wired to explode. Two hitmen arrive wanting the evidence Cory had, and Joe tricks them into blowing up the car, killing themselves, but also destroying the rest of the evidence. Joe reveals to Jimmy that when he was in the Secret Service, he was assigned to the Senator's protective detail. One night on duty he witnessed Baynard torturing a woman in a hotel room and assaulted Baynard to stop him, knocking out four of Baynard's teeth. Baynard would later have Joe kicked out of the Service for refusing to cover up the incident. Joe and Jimmy then form an unlikely alliance to bring down Marcone. Joe takes Jimmy home and meets his abrasive daughter Darian. When Joe catches Jimmy attempting to use illegal painkillers in the bathroom, Joe furiously kicks him out. As Jimmy leaves, Darian asks him to sign a football trading card featuring Jimmy Dix. As he signs, she reveals that Joe had been a fan of his before he got busted, and ever since he was banned from the league Joe has never watched another football game. He leaves her with the signed card, "To the daughter of the last Boy Scout." The next morning the police, having learned of Mike's affair with Sarah, decide Joe must have killed Mike for revenge and move to arrest him. But Milo, Marcone's top henchman, captures Joe first, then shoots the cop who had come to arrest him using Joe's gun. Marcone explains to Joe that he has bribed the gambling commission to legalize sports gambling, but Baynard the last member turned out to be especially greedy, and when Marcone also tried to buy his vote, Baynard blackmailed Marcone, demanding $6 million or he would go to the police. Explaining it would be cheaper to kill the Senator, aware of Joe's history with him, Marcone informs Joe of his intention kill the Senator and frame him for his murder. Joe is taken to a wooded area where he is photographed handing a briefcase containing money to Baynard's bodyguards. The money is then switched in the trunk with a wired briefcase. Joe is rescued by Jimmy and Darian and they manage to acquire both briefcases after running the bodyguards and Milo off the road; however, Milo survives and kidnaps Darian after Joe leaves her to wait for the police. Heading to Marcone's stadium office to save Darian, they are caught and brought to Marcone's office, but Jimmy creates a diversion, allowing them to fight their way free. Knowing Milo will attempt to shoot Baynard, Joe goes after Milo while sending Jimmy to warn Baynard. Grabbing the game ball, Jimmy throws it at Baynard, knocking him down just as Milo starts shooting. Joe knocks Milo to the edge of the stadium light platform, where police shoot him several times, causing him to fall into the blades of a circling helicopter. Joe does a victory dance as Jimmy and the crowd watched. In the aftermath, Baynard orders Joe to arrested claiming he's been senting him threaten messages from the phone. Joe in retaliation punches him both in the face and stomach. Sarah shows up and sees that Joe is all right, then Bessalo shows up too. The suitcase of money is recovered and the fleeing Marcone, having escaped with the rigged briefcase, is killed when he opens it. It is implied Baynard and the other members of the commission are finished. The next day, Joe and Sarah reconcile, and Joe and Jimmy decide to become partners. Cast *Bruce Willis as Joseph "Joe" Cornelius Hallenbeck, a private eye and former Secret Service agent and one of the main protagonists. *Damon Wayans as James "Jimmy" Alexander Dix, a former professional football player and one of the main protagonists. *Chelsea Field as Sarah Hallenbeck, Joe's lonely wife. *Noble Willingham as Sheldon Marcone, owner of the fictional L.A. Stallions and the main antagonist. *Taylor Negron as Milo, Marcone's chief henchman, a secondary antagonist. *Danielle Harris as Darian Hallenbeck, Joe's daughter. *Halle Berry as Cory, a stripper and Jimmy's girlfriend. *Bruce McGill as Mike Matthews, Joe's friend and fellow private detective. *Badja Djola as Alley Thug *Kim Coates as Chet *Chelcie Ross as Senator Calvin Baynard, a corrupt senator who had Joe fired from the Secret Service. *Joe Santos as Benjamin Bessalo, a police lieutenant who hates Joe. *Clarence Felder as McCoskey *Tony Longo as Big Ray Walston *Frank Collison as Pablo *Eddie Griffin as Club DJ *Bill Medley as Himself *Verne Lundquist as Himself *Dick Butkus as Himself *Lynn Swann as Himself *Billy Blanks as Billy Cole *Morris Chestnut as Locker Room Kid *James Gandolfini as Marcone's Henchman (uncredited) Production It is set (and was filmed) in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Marino and West Hollywood, in 90 days on March 11 and June 9, 1991. The role of the antagonist Sheldon Marcone was written with Sorrell Booke in mind, however the role went to Willingham. It is possible that Booke had been stricken with cancer by the date of the film and limited his workload to animated shows and movies . Awards The film was nominated for two MTV Movie Awards. *'Best Action Sequence' - For the helicopter blade sequence *'Best On-Screen Duo' - Bruce Willis & Damon Wayans Trivia References Nancy drew on Case. 1939 film The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) Breaking the Ice. 1964 film Carry on Cleo Danger Rides Home. 1966 TV Series Star Trek: The Original Series Roughing Up Arm. 1981 TV Series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV Series) Joke Out of a Jam. 1982 film Koyaanisqatsi Dick in my wife. 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Reception The film performed under expectations given the star power and hype surrounding the then record price paid for the screenplay by Shane Black ($1.75 million). Roger Ebert gave the film three stars, saying it was "a superb example of what it is: a glossy, skillful, cynical, smart, utterly corrupt and vilely misogynistic action thriller". It has a 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews were mixed, and some critics cited the Christmas time release for such a violent film as a reason for its somewhat underwhelming box office. It grossed $7,923,669 in its opening weekend, and the total gross was $59,509,925. Although the film was not a blockbuster, it helped Bruce Willis recover his star status after the disastrous Hudson Hawk, and both turned a profit at the box office and became hugely popular in the video rental market. Home media The Region 1 DVD was released in the United States on May 27, 1998, and the Region 2 DVD was released in the United Kingdom on 26 April 1999. It was distributed by Warner Home Video. Category:Films Category:R rated films Category:Comedies Category:Buddy movie genre films Category:Crime Dramas Category:Die Hard scenario films with Secret Service characters Category:Die Hard scenarios set at a sports event Category:Die Hard in a Building scenario movies Category:Die Hard on a Moving Vehicle scenario movies Category:Die Hard scenarios set in Los Angeles Category:Die Hard scenario films with career criminal villains Category:Die Hard scenarios in a stadium Category:Tony Scott film productions Category:Stuart Baird film productions Category:Joel Silver film productions